PSYCHOLOGIST |SEXOLOGIST | EDUCATOR

Male-Dominated Culture or Oppression?

Headscarfs still cause a lot of debate in the Netherlands, some feel it’s a form of oppression and we shouldn’t allow it. I’ve always felt forcing women to undress themselves when they don’t want to would be far worse. Covering female breasts is a sexist cultural norm as well, but we don’t change that by stripping women naked against their consent. It is my body, and i have the right to show or cover it as I wish. And honestly, the tone of the debate makes me so angry sometimes I just want to cover my hair to make a point – I am not an object, I am not an idea or ideology, my body as a woman is not a political battle ground. This is my head, my hair, my breasts, and if I don’t want to show them to you, you have no right to see them.

I really can’t see this issue separate from sex workers’ rights and reproductive rights and women’s rights in general. The idea that as women we decide what we want to do with our own bodies seems so radical sometimes. Instead of allowing others to decide for us, as if we are children, we get to use our bodies as we please. Whether I want to cover my body, have sex for my own reasons including money, show my breasts in public or stay a virgin is my business and mine alone.

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9 thoughts on “Male-Dominated Culture or Oppression?”

Recent history all over the world and the past 1400 years makes clear that if islamic people are in a majority and there is no dictatorship, women rights will evaporate really quickly. Everthing done in the Islamic State is discribed in their holy books. The dangers are really underestimated. Hirshi Ali who was treated badly in the netherlands had warned us quite some time before the terrorist attacks came that this would happen.

How much have to die before we will speak up and make taboo parts of the islam ideology?
Sociologist Pim Fortuin, killed by a person who thinks it is not good to warn about violent ideology
Hirshi Ali, had to leave NL and has protection
Theo van Gogh, killed
Wilders, a terrorist has tried to kill him, has protection for life
All these people fight for the liberty of women and human rights.

I cannot give my opinion because you don’t like it? This is perfectly on topic. If you want to censor, doing this with this subject would be quite a bad decision.

Ofcourse women can wear what they want but it is a symbol of something, it is not neutral. They choose for opression. That is ofcourse aloud if this is consentual. If they want to show something of their beutiful culture they can do so in 100 other ways.

Marijke Vonk is a Dutch sex-positive psychologist specialised in working with sexual minorities. Besides working as a therapist, she is a writer and lecturer on various topics concerning sexuality. Main topics on this blog include kink, gender equality, sex workers' rights, non-monogamy and psychology.